The Florentine Opera’s ‘Flying Dutchman’

The Florentine Opera’s season opener promises an adventurous, refreshingly engaging experience with an early Wagnerian work, quite a contrast from the later, more rarified and lengthy mythological world of Norse gods and goddesses. Based on an early work by poet Heinrich Heine, The Flying Dutchman tells the tale of a sailor cursed to roam the seven seas for all eternity because he once invoked the power of Satan. As in so many fanciful romantic works of the 19th century, the Dutchman can only be redeemed by the unselfish love of a good woman willing to sacrifice herself to undue the curse.

As the Florentine’s General Director Bill Florescu says, “The Flying Dutchman offers something to those who might not always go for Wagner as well as his devoted aficionados. We chose it for what it is—an engaging work with greater, more accessible lyricism, which falls within the broader spectrum of the earlier cannon of Italian and German opera. My own preference is for opera such as this with a strong story line, although Richard Wagner’s later, more elusive works do foreshadow modern music.”

Premiered in 1843, Dutchman is relatively short and was originally intended as a one-act opera. The 30-year-old Wagner needed money fast. The tale of the gestation of the opera becomes more fascinating—as Wagner and his wife, Minna, fled from Riga to London illegally without passports to escape creditors, they encountered a series of severe storms causing Minna’s miscarriage. The event must have haunted Wagner, influencing the Dutchman, his first real success. Florescu adds, “The sea is a very important part of the opera’s musical structure, with several outstanding male choruses such as the Act 3 Norwegian sailors’ chant highlighting the action along with Senta’s evocative ballad.” The ocean is a major protagonist. “The sea itself has a mesmerizing effect as projected in Wagner’s score. The overture to The Flying Dutchman has been a concert favorite for years.”

Florescu adds that the opera’s central characters are flawed, and their personal conflicts make for a diversified, arresting musical experience, often more interesting than Wagner’s later famed operas. Daland, the first seaman to encounter the Dutchman, is beguiled by his offer of wealth and offers his daughter’s hand in marriage. Senta, long absorbed by the tale of the Dutchman, readily and inexplicable accepts, much to the dismay of her rejected suitor, Erik. The Dutchman himself is very much a flesh-and-blood character despite his ghostly antecedents. He is ruthless and selfish and does not hesitate to accept Senta’s sacrifice.

Those who minimize the magnitude of Wagner’s early achievements usually succumb to the Dutchman’s magnificent finale. Perhaps the immediacy and urgency of the music fall too easily into the pleasure principle. Says Florescu, “The Florentines have done only two German operas of late, the most recent being Salome in 2008. Dutchman provides a new look at this repertoire in a work that usually pleases many with its taut dramatic economy. We do have many requests for Wagner. The music is less obtuse than the later stuff and it makes a good choice even for people who don’t like Wagner.”

Florescu touts an outstanding cast in which “many fine singers [who are] not yet household names offer a surplus of talent and many have already achieved international reputations in other operatic venues—the new Flying Dutchman promises a variety of outstanding singers. The new production will be a comfortable hybrid of traditional as well as updated staging. ”

Wayne Tigges (the Dutchman) has already been lauded for his rich bass-baritone in recent San Francisco performances. Alwyn Mellor (Senta) recently sang Brünnhilde to sensational reviews in Seatle. Tenor David Danholt as the spurned Erik recently won first prize at the 2014 Seattle Opera competition. Renowned for his rich bass performances, Peter Volpe will make a formidable Daland. Jenni Banks in the supporting role of Mary, having sung many Verdi mezzo-soprano roles, rounds out a cast of aspiring future Wagnerians.

The Florentine Opera performs The Flying Dutchman Oct. 24 and 26 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts’ Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 1-800-32OPERA or visit florentineopera.org

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